Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Usually when something good happens, one should expect something "bad" to happen.

See, there was this HUGE bill I had been paying off. When I realized that it's paid off, I jumped with joy! I thought, "Now my life can get back to normal. I can stop struggling to pay the bills, the rent, for food, etc."....then Betty (my car) started to get sick.

Ah!

It started out innocently. Just a quick flash of the Battery Light. I thought, "Oh, must've been when I went over the tracks too fast...it jiggled it a bit...." to the flashes becoming little more than usual. So, I took it to the local gas station with a garage. And since they had to close up, they'd look at it in the morning and call me. So, I left it there and walked 2 blocks home. (nice perk of living downtown Tecumseh!)

Wrote my boss to excuse me from work, and informed my co-workers I wouldn't be in...as I'm the first person to be in the office. If they came in and not see me, I didn't want them to be alarmed.

So, it was cleared with the boss, and I got to sleep in a wee bit. Til the phone call came in, and I walked over to find out the verdict. It is something they couldn't get to because of where it's located....the alternator!

*sigh*

So......I drove it home. Oh, it's drivable. Just gotta be careful with it. Until I can get it fixed.

Well, you see, I'm supposed to go on this great Camping Adventure to Copper Harbor, MI this weekend with my best camping buddy, Jen and her kid, "Mo". Well, what am I gonna do? So out of Jen's heart and kindness, "This trip is TOO SPECIAL, we'll make it happen!" and she rented a SUV and we'll take that SUV and HER car to drive that 11 hour trip up there. So there. Whoa. I'm so thrilled. I love her.

Then, I was trying figure out who will fix my car? Fortunately, I contacted my son's best friend's step dad, and he is willing to replace the alternator for me! So cool!

Oh and it gets better....someone was so generous enough to send my son to a summer camp at the end of July, and already paid for his trip! As a birthday/Christmas gift. And wants to treat my daughter for something of same amount paid for my son's camping trip. Whoa! My daughter will be going on a mission trip to VA so, a contribution towards that would be very nice.

All in all, day of blessings, and great friends that rallied around me today in prayers and encouragement....couldn't get any better than this.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

... who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants...

The race began...

Honestly, no one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as:

"Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top".

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one...

... Except for those who in a fresh tempo were climbing higher and higher...

The crowd continued to yell

"It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up...

...But ONE continued higher and higher and higher...

This one wouldn't give up!

At the end, everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it?

A contestant asked the tiny frog how the one who succeeded had found the strength to reach the goal?

It turned out...

That the winner was deaf.

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The moral of the story is that, if we listen to other people who want to tear us down and discourage us, they will succeed and we won't. However, if we listen and follow God, we will succeed. Jesus said "With God, all things are possible." So keep your eyes and your heart on Him and you can do anything.
*Thank you, Brenda Bienlein, for sharing this. Love it!